Exclusive: Why Grimm's Sasha Roiz is terrified by show's dark final season

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We got a taste of what's to come during Friday's Season 6 premiere of Grimm on NBC, but according to actor Sasha Roiz, who plays Captain Sean Renard, the battle between Grimm Nick and the Captain is only the beginning of a terrifying final season ... one that even scares him.

"The first few episodes pick up where we left off at the end of Season 5, and it really is about Nick and the Captain coming to a head and both of them trying to survive and come to grips with this new power imbalance that's happened. I'm basically chasing after Nick and the gang at any cost. I think it's the darkest we've seen the Captain. He's set on killing Nick if he gets his hands on him," said Roiz in an exclusive interview with Syfy Wire.

"So that is the first half. There's a great twist in the middle as to how Nick survives that. But then the latter half really deals with a much greater danger to everyone, including Renard. And that is really quite interesting. One of the darkest elements we've seen in Grimm from the beginning. So there is a darker force that is really quite terrifying. I don't want to give too much away, but truly even as an actor it's quite terrifying," he said.

Darker than what we've seen so far? Hard to imagine, considering our hero, Nick, found his mother's head in a box AND had to kill (well, almost kill) his true love because she'd become an evil hexenbiest. And that was in one episode. So, darker than that?

"It's going to be a very interesting ending. We wrap things up I think in a way that the fans are going to be quite pleased and quite surprised about. I'm just really proud of what we've done, what we've accomplished," said Roiz.

"As an actor it's allowed me to really delve deeper as a performer and really be challenged over 123 episodes in so many ways," he added.

Indeed, while all the characters have evolved, Captain Sean Renard was never your typical police captain character as he's worked hard both for and against Nick.

Roiz points to the show's creators and showrunners, Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt, for "constantly developing this character more and more. And I'd like to think that I contributed to that as well, my enthusiasm and my work. They developed this wonderful arc alongside with me. I'm really happy with Renard's presence in the show. It's been really memorable character and it will be hard to say goodbye to this guy."

As to how the final season evolves, "I'm really happy that we've done away with the Royals, we've done away with Black Claw, we've done away with some characters even. It boils down to the main characters and their dynamic, and I think that's going to be fun for the longtime fans and viewers of the show to just see the main characters that they've fallen in love with just have it out and be the main priority this season," he said.

"We probably exhausted the material at this point, in the best possible way. By that I mean we told our story in every which way. We've transformed every character. We've kept the audience guessing. We've kept the cast guessing. I think the writers did a great job. Ultimately, in six seasons, as much as we'd love to see this show go on, I think we've managed to really tell this story at its fullest over the past six seasons," said Roiz.

While the actor is thrilled with the way the show has played out, he did admit there was one thing he would have liked to see tackled that the Grimm writers never got to. "I really would have enjoyed watching Renard confront his father, the King. It was really kind of building up in many ways, there was so much between them, and there was so much pain in Renard in regards to how he was treated and mistreated. So I really would have enjoyed that meeting. Sadly, that didn't happen," he said.

On the other hand, there have been many great moments and surprises that have delighted him. "There's an episode coming up this season, which is Episode 3, which is outstandingly funny and good and for me as an actor was very challenging. It's called 'Oh Captain, My Captain.' And let's just say there's going to be a lot of Renard. A lot. Almost too much. That was a really fun one!"

While he promises the humor which has been with the series from the beginning will continue throughout the season, the terrifying part will be lurking and there will be "constant surprises" to the end.

"There's a really bittersweet ending to the whole series, on-screen and off-screen. We're very much a family and it's going to be very hard to say goodbye to this wonderful crew and this city and this cast. It's a very emotional time on set right now."

That's especially true since the final episode of the series, Episode 13, is filming right now. Reggie Lee (Wu) and Russell Hornsby (Hank) wrapped last Thursday. "It's hard to watch. At the same time, we're all very grateful," he said.

Although the show is ending, the Grimm gang still has one more thing to do: the third and final Grimm Gala to benefit the OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland this month. "We've already raised $700,000 and we'll pass a million. That's an endowment called the Grimmster Endowment that we started at the Doernbecher Children's Hospital. That will be our last hurrah and our last celebration as a cast before we leave Portland," said Roiz.

"No one lost their sense of gratitude, and a big part of that is due to the fans that kept us on the air even when we were the little show that had the odds stacked against it when we first came out. And here we are six years later and I think we're the only show that was launched in 2011 that's still on the air on NBC. That's entirely due to the fans."